Letter-box



NITED STATES JAMES W. HENTZ, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,890, dated March 20, 1894.

Application filed .Tune 18, 1891. Serial No. 396.687. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES 1V. HENTZ, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Oarroll Station, in the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My lnvention relates to letter boxes and has for its object to furnish an improved construction of collection box adapted for use as a street box, or a door box as may be desired.

With this object in view my invention consists 1n the improved construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the claims.

` In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a sectional view on a vertical plane passing through the box from front to rear with the lid of the box closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same parts with the lid open. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the parts in the position to indicate that the box is empty. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the collection door with the parts in position to indicate that there is mail matter in the box. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the inside of the door. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the bolt operating bar and wedge. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail View showing the relation of the device illustrated in Fig. 6 with the connecting parts.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the various iigures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l is the box, of any ordinary construction, of which 2 is the front wall, in which there are two openings. One opening, near the top through which mail matteris to be inserted, is closed bya hood or drop lid -3 hinged at 4 and having an auxiliary lid 5 hinged to it at 6 to open inward. There is at the lower edge of this opening an outward projecting lip or ange 7 which is so situated that it will intercept and prevent the opening of the lid 5 while lid 3 is down and permit the same when lid 3 is up, or open. Flanges 8 on auxiliary lid 5 rest on lip 7 when lid 3 is up and. hold it in that position.

Secured to or forming part of the drop lid or hood is an arm 9 which projects into the box and engages one side of a table, diaphragm or cover 10 pivot-ed at 11 in the interior of the box. When the hood is down, as in Fig. 1 the table 10 hangsl vertically, its pivot being parallel with those of the hood. When the hood is raised, the arm 9 presses down on its front portion and brings up the rear portion until the table lies horizontally in the box and divides it into two compartments, (as in Fig. 2) the mail being deposited upon this table, and dropped therefrom into the lower receptacle when it is tilted by the lowering of the hood. The second opening in the front of the box is nearthe lower end or bottom and being intended for the purposes of collection, it is closed by a door 12 hinged at 13. On the inside of the door are ledges or ribs 14, 15 between which a bolt 16 is arranged to slide in order to lock the door. This bolt has a knob 17 projecting through a slot 18 whereby it may be thrown from the outside of the box. A suitable lock 19 is provided, the bolt 2O of which enters a notch 21 in bolt 16 and keeps it in its locked position. The bolt 16 may be arranged to be thrown by the key of the lock, if desired, the bolt 20 acting as a lever to throw and hold it. Between the rib l5 and another rib 22 isa sliding plate 23 having a beveled end 24. This plate covers a series of holes 25 in the front of the box and has on its obverse face the letters forming the word Collect When the bolt is in the left hand position (see Fig. 2) there appear only blanks in the holes 25 in the box and this indicates that the box is empty thus obviating the necessity of the collector opening the box, or of exposing its contentsthrough glass which is so easily broken. When, however, the bolt is in its right hand position (see Fig. 4) the letters appear on the holes 25 and the word Collect is in sight, thus indicating that there is mail matterin the box. To effect the sliding of this indicator plate at proper times, is the main object of my inven- IOO tion, and I do it as follows: 26 is a wedge which is the lower end of a bar 27 secured to the inside of the box by screws 28 passing through a slot 29 in said bar. The bar 27 is properly formed to cause it to reach, as it were, around the door frame 30 and bring the wedge 26 between said frame and the beveled end 24C of plate 23. At the upper end of the bar 27 is an eye 3l to which is connected the lower end of a link or bar 32 whose upper end connects with the lower end of a similar link 33, its upper end being connected to the under side of the front edge of the cover or table l0. As before explained, when the hood 3 is raised to insert mail matter, the arm 9 forces the front edge of the table lO down until a horizontal position is reached. During the latter part of this stroke the front edge of table lO bears on top of bar 27 forcing it downward and carrying wedge 26 behind the beveled end 24 of plate 23, foro-- ing said plate to the position shown in Fig. et, showing the word Collect, as an instruction to the collector. The word will remain in sight until the door 12 is unlocked and the bolt 2O withdrawn from notch 21 in bolt 16. This bolt may then be thrown back, thus unlocking the door. At this time alug 34 on bolt 16 comes in contact with a lug 35 on indicator plate 23 and again throws it into position to cover up the word Collect and thus indicate the emptiness of the box.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description and its advantages will be apparent at a glance.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with the box having a suitable opening with an outward projecting lip at the bottom thereof, of a hood or `drop lid hinged at the top of said opening and having an upward opening auxiliary lid hinged at its lower edge in a position to be intercepted by said lip and prevented from opening while the hood is closed, as set forth.

2. In combination with the box having a suitable mouth and provided with an outward projecting lip or iiange at the bottom of said opening, of a hood or drop lid hinged at the top of the opening, and an auxiliary lid hinged to the inside of the hood having flanges to rest on the lip and support the hood in its raised position, as set forth.

3. The combination in a letter box of a drop lid, an auxiliary lid pivoted to the drop lid, a

lip projecting inside the drop lid from the mouth of the box, a bar attached to the drop lid, a safety cover or table pivoted inside of the box, and a rod connecting the bar with said safety table or cover, as set forth.

4. In a letter box the combination with a hood to cover the mouth, provided with an arm projecting inside the box, an auxiliary lid hinged thereto to open inwardly, a ledge projecting outward at the bottom of the mouth to act as a stop to said auxiliary lid, and a safety cover pivoted inside the box, the axes ofthe two lids and the safety coverbeing parallel, and the arm from the hood acting directly upon the safety cover as set forth.

5. In a letter box having amouth and a series of holes in its front wall the combination of an indicator plate arranged to slide behind said holes, a tilting table within the box and connections between the table and indicator plate whereby the latter is operated by the tilting of the former, as set forth.

6. In a letter box having a mouth and a series of holes in its front wall, the combination of an indicator plate sliding behind said holes, a hood covering the mouth, a tilting table inside the box, and connections between the hood and table and the table and indicator plate, whereby the raising and lowering of the hood tilts the table, and the tilting of the table operates the indicator plate, as set forth.

7. The combination of the door having seriesvof holes 25, the plate 23 sliding behind and closing said holes, the bolt 16 parallel with said plate and operating to slide with it, the bar 27 having wedge 26 to operate the plate 23 the tilting table l0 and the links 22 and 23 connecting the tilting table with the bar 27 as set forth.

S. In a letter box in combination, a tilting safety table inside the box, a delivery door, an indicator connected with said door and a rod actuated by the tilting table to operate the indicator, as set forth.

9. In combination the door having a series of holes, a sliding indicator plate inside these holes having inward projecting lugs, a locking bolt having a lug to cooperate with the lugs of the sliding plate, and a lock operating to secure the bolt in position, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES w. HENTZ.

Vitnesses:

F. R. CoRNwALL, S. BRAsHEARs, J r.

IOO 

